CNote: Unlocking capital for underserved communities through innovative data and technology

Our programs

CNote makes impact investing easy by connecting capital to mission-driven financial institutions. Through insured cash management and fixed-income solutions, CNote’s platform is designed to deliver competitive returns and tangible benefits to underserved communities.

How CNote works to strengthen the small business ecosystem in the United States

  • As demand grows for mission-driven lending, many Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) face a shortfall in the deposits they need to meet it. Among CNote’s Impact Cash network, 86 percent reported an urgent need for new deposits to keep pace. Without accessible capital, even the strongest community lenders risk falling short — leaving small businesses without the financing they need to grow.
  • CNote is a technology-driven impact platform that connects institutions and individuals with community financial institutions. By building long-term relationships across philanthropy, finance, and the public sector, CNote helps get capital flowing to the CDFIs and other mission-driven lenders serving under-resourced small businesses across the U.S.

Program overview

Our work together

With support from Mastercard Strive USA, CNote is designing tools to make impact capital more visible, more transparent, and easier to deploy. For example, the partnership focuses on:

  • Building a pricing and product data model that allows institutions and individuals to see rates and terms in real time, helping them match capital with mission-driven lenders more effectively. 
  • Developing and scaling an impact reporting system that aligns community and investor needs, helping to ensure impact investments and cash reach the communities they’re meant to serve.
  • Enhancing its existing impact framework to support Community Reinvestment Act rules — making it easier for banks and investors to direct CRA-motivated capital toward small businesses and projects that deliver long-term community value.

By the numbers

  • CNote aims to unlock an estimated $2 billion in new long-term capital over the next 5 to 7 years.
  • Through its platform, CNote connects institutions and individuals to more than 2,500 mission-driven financial institutions across the U.S.

“The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth grant has been a pivotal capital resource and partnership for CNote. If not for Mastercard’s impressive commitment to diverse small business and community development financial institutions, we would not have been able to accelerate our technology research, development and roll-out of critical impact data measurement and reporting software. We could not be prouder of this partnership and have been able to realize more efficiency, transparency and capital mobilization as a result of this important grant.”

Cat Berman

Co-Founder & CEO, CNote

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